Microsoft is adding fresh features to Windows 11 and preparing to fling yet more update nagware at Windows 10 users in the hope that a bigger wave will migrate to the latest - but not necessarily the greatest - OS.

The most recent figures from Statcounter show that many users continue to steer clear of Microsoft's flagship operating system. Usage barely changed between January and February 2024. In fact, its predecessor, Windows 10, registered a larger upwards tick, although the amount - less than 1 percent - is still in the realm of a rounding error.

Microsoft has yet to publish official statistics, but alarm bells must be ringing in Redmond that with less than 18 months until the retirement of Windows 10, it remains comfortably ahead of Windows 11 in market share.

Microsoft is currently rolling out the latest Windows 11 update - dubbed "Moment 5" - to users who have checked the "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" option in Windows Update.

Considering Microsoft's investment in artificial intelligence services, Copilot is front and center. As well as additional skills to control the settings of a Windows 11 device, third-party plugins for services such as OpenTable have been added, with Shopify, Klarna, and Kayak due over the coming month.

Keeping track of all the ways Copilot is being crammed into Microsoft's line-up is becoming a full time job. The company also announced a public preview of Copilot for Finance last week, aimed at financial professionals looking to automate more tasks.

Companies would therefore be forgiven for taking a step back until the Copilot dust has settled - something analysts have advised.

Elsewhere in the update, the Photo App got Generative Erase functionality, after it was earlier seeded with Windows Insiders, and there was preview of a service to remove awkward silences in Clipchamp videos.

Enterprise users also saw a merging of Windows Update for Business and Autopatch.

It is unlikely that, by itself, the latest Windows 11 23H2 update will cause users to jump from Windows 10. Certainly not while their old hardware continues to perform more than adequately, and Windows 11 lacks a killer feature to justify purchasing new equipment. Copilot remains a technology to keep an eye on, but will not necessarily loosen the purse strings yet.

Not that Microsoft has any intention of giving up encouraging users to make the move to Windows 11. As well as updating its flagship operating system, the company warned users: "If your organization relies on Microsoft to manage Windows updates, you'll start seeing a new user interface on eligible Windows 10 devices soon."

A user interface now invites users on business devices - for example, Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation - to "Upgrade for free to the latest Windows 11." You lucky, lucky people.

The invitation will only appear on devices not managed by IT departments. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/03/04/windows_11_market_share/